River Fishing Heats Up As Ice Season Wraps Up

Ice fishing in Central Minnesota is done for most anglers but with open water in many areas of southern and central Minnesota, the opportunity for river fishing is there.  Glen Schmitt from Outdoor News joined me on WJON.

River Fishing

Schmitt believes top river fishing opportunities in the state include the Mississippi, Rainy River and the Missouri River in South Dakota.  He says some of these open water fishing opportunities are available right now like the Mississippi River near Red Wing.  Schmitt says fish will be moving from deeper water into shallow water as they are looking to spawn.  He says some of the biggest saugers you're going to find in the country can be found near Red Wing.

Where to Find Fish

When river fishing, Schmitt suggest looking below dams, tributaries, and wing dams.  He says fishing rivers on the weekends can get busy so he suggests fishing during the week if you can fit that into your schedule.

Duck Summit

On March 27-28 a duck summit will take place at the Nicollet Public School, which is on the shores of Swan Lake.  Schmitt says it is historically one of the state's best duck hunting locations.  He says the event is intended to bring duck hunters together to address issues of less ducks and less duck hunters in the state.

Turkey Hunting

Changes could be coming to the spring turkey hunt in the State.  Schmitt says the turkey population continues to grow.  He says a suggestion on a survey that seems to have support is a 2-bag limit for male turkeys.  Schmitt says some states already have bag limits and he isn't sure this is a good idea for Minnesota.

If you'd like to listen to my conversation with Glen Schmitt, click below.